Control mechanism for electric fans.



W. M. NICEWEN.

CONTROL MECHANISM FOR ELECTRIC FANS. APPLICATION FILED NOV. 25. I916.

Patented Jan. 8, 1918.

WILLARD M. MGEWEN, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

CONTROL MECHANISM FOR ELECTRIC FANS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 8, 1918.

Application filed November 25, 1916. Serial No. 133,516.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, lVILLAao M. Mo- EWEN, a citizen of the United States of America, and a resident of Chicago, county of Cook, and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Control Mechanisms for Electric Fans, of which the following is a specification.

The main objects of this invention are to provide improved mechanism for controlling the various movements of an oscillating electric fan of the type shown in my Patent No.

1,214,198, granted January 30, 1917; to provide controlling mechanism for a fan of this kind which is simple and inexpensive in construction and which is positive in its operation; and to provide an improved actuating means for said controlling mechanism which renders practically impossible the improper manipulation thereof.

An illustrative embodiment of this invention is shown in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure l is a side elevation of a fan, similar to that shown in my Patent No. 1,214,198, granted January 30, 1917, parts thereof being broken away to show the arrangement of the improved controlling means thereon.

Fig. 2 is a section on the line A-A of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary front elevation of that part of the fan base with which the operating member for said controlling means coacts for locking said means in either of its several positions.

Fig. 5 is a side elevation of the same showing the relative depth of the recesses formed therein.

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the improved latch or controlling means.

The fan to which this improved controlling mechanism is herein shown to be applied is of a type more fully described and claimed in my Patent No. 1,214,198, granted January 30, 1917. As herein illustrated, the fan comprises blower mechanism 1 tiltably mounted on a shaft or member 2 by having a lug 3 depending from a motor casing 4 pivotally connected at 5 between arms or lugs 6 formed on the upper end of member 2. The member 2 is carried by and supported on a suitable base 7 and is adapted to be rotated relatively thereto. A member or is a section on the line B-B of sleeve 8 is j ournaled on the base or support 7 concentrically of the member 2, and carries an outwardly disposed annular flange 9 of wavelike form providing a track 10 with which rollers 11 journaled on the motor casmg are adapted to coact, for the purpose of tilting the blower mechanism in a vertical plane during the relative rotation of the sleeve 8 and member 2. The relative rotation of said sleeve 8 and member 2 is caused by a pinion l2 driven by the fan motor and meshing with a rack 13 formed on the periphery of the flange 9.

The principal movements of the fan are a simple up and down tilting in a vertical plane, a tilting up and down in a vertical plane simultaneous with a horizontal rotation of the entire mechanism about a vertical axis, and a tilting up and down in a vertical plane at the same time the Whole mechanism is oscillating back and forth in a horizontal plane. The first of these movements is efiected by locking the member 2 to the base or support 7 and leaving the sleeve 8 free to rotate. The second movement is effected by locking the sleeve 8 to the support 7 and leaving the shaft or member 2 free to rotate. The third movement is effected by restricting the angularity of rotation of the member 2 when both it and the sleeve 8 are released from locked engagement with the support 7.

The controlling mechanism for effecting these movements of the fan comprises a latch member 14 mounted on and housed within the support 7 and having a pin 15 secured to the lower end of said latch member and protruding out through a slot 16 formed in the base 7 so as to provide a handle by means of which the latch member is adapted to be shifted axially with respect to said shaft 2. The upper end of the latch 14 is provided with a pair of lugs or shoulders 17 and 18 disposed at right angles to each other. The lug 17 is adapted to enter one of a series of recesses 19 formed in the member 2 when the latch 14 is shifted to its uppermost position, and-the lug 18 is adapted to enter one of a series of recesses 20 formed in the sleeve 8 when the latch is shifted to its lowermost position. When the latch is in an intermediate position both lugs are free from both sets of recesses.

The handle or pin 15 is shiftable radially of the shaft 2 so that it may be moved into and out of the groove 26 eccentrically formed in the lower end of the shaft 2. A. head 21 .to be rotated in a horizontal direction simulis secured to the outer end of the pin 15 and has shoulders 22 thereon adapted'to fit in sets of notches 23,, 24, and 25 formed in the support 7 adjacent to the slot 16. These three sets of notches correspond to the three different positionsto which the latch 14 may be shiftech so that when engaged'by the shoulders 22 the latch l4 is locked in one or the other of said positions. The middle or intermediate set of notches 24 is of greater depth than the other sets, so as to permit the inner end of the pin 15 to enter the groove 26 whereas the sets of slots 23 and 25 being shallow hold the .pin clear of the member 2 when the latch member is shifted to either of its extreme positions. 7 I

The pin 15 is normally urged toward the shaft 2 and when released, so as to enter the groove 26, acts as a brake or stop for limiting the angular movement of the member 2 in the same manner as set forth in my aforesaid patent. v 7

The operation of the device herein shown is as follows:

The head21 of pin 15 which is mounted on the latch 14 may be grasped and shifted vertically in the slot 16 so as to move the latch 14 to any of its three positions. When moved so that the shoulders 22 enter the notches 23 at the upper end of slot 16, the

lug 17 is locked in engagement with one of the recesses 1 9v formed in the shaft 2, and thereby securessaid shaft against rotation relative to the support 7. The sleeve 8 is thereby allowed to freely rotate, thus causing the'blower mechanism to tilt up and down tilting in a fixed vertical plane.

When the latch 14 is shifted to its lowermost position, so that the shoulders 22 enter the notches 25 at the lower end of vthe slot .16, the lug 18 is locked in engagement with one of the recesses 20 formed in the sleeve 8, so that the sleeve 13 secured against rotation I 7 relative to the-support 7. The member 2 is then allowed to'rotate relative to the member7, andthis causes the blower mechanlsm the blower mechanism tilts up and down in a vertical'plane at the same time the whole mechanism is oscillated back and forth in a horizontal plane, and the inner end of the pin15 serves to regulate and limit the angular movement of the member 2.

: With this arrangement of controlling mechanism, there is absolutely no possibility of improper manipulation, for the reason that the latch member .can be set to engage only one member at a time and when the latchingmember is shifted to one of its positions it will remain in such position until manually shifted to some other position.

Although but one specific embodiment of this invention has been herein shown and described, it will be understood that numerous details of the construction shown may 1 be altered or omitted without departing from the spirit of this invention as defined by the following claims.

I claim: 1

1. In an air circulating device, the combination of a support, a member rotatably mounted thereon, motor driven blower mech anism tiltably mounted on said member,

'means for tilting said blower mechanism transversely of the axis of its'pivotal con- "neetion to said rotatable member, whereby it will be caused to oscillate relative to said support, a latch member slidably mounted, on said support so as to be shifted axially of said rotatable member, means on said rotatable member adapted tobe engaged by said latch member when shifted into one of its positions for securing said -member againstrotation so as to allow said blower mechanism to be tilted up and down ina fixed plane transverse to the aXis of said pivotal connection, and other means on said rotatable member adapted to coact with said latch member when shifted into another of its positions so as to limit the angularity of the oscillations of said rotatableinember relative to said support.

2. In an air circulating device, the combinationrof a support, a pair of members mounted on said support and rotatable independently of each other, motor driven blower ,mechanis;m tiltably mounted on one ioo of said members, coacting means on Said blower mechanism andthe other said member adapted to cause said blower mechanism to tilt a plane transverse to the pivotal 9011 86 0 to ld one member and to oscillate relative to said support during a relative rotation of said members, means for causing a relative rotation of said members,

and means slidably mounted on said support so as to be shifted axially thereof to engage one or the other of said members for locking the Same against rotation relative to said support. 7

3. In an air circulating device, the combination of. a support, a pair of members mounted on said support and rotatable independently of each other, motor driven blower mechanism tiltably mounted on one of said members, coacting means on said blower mechanism and the othersaid member adapted to cause said blower mechanism l to tiltin aplane transverse to the pivotal connection to said one member and to oscillate relative to said support during a relative rotation of said members, means for causing a relative rotation of said members,

-- anda latch member slidably mounted on and pendently of each other, motor driven blower mechanism tiltably mounted on one of said members, coacting means on said blower mechanism and the other said member adapted to cause said blower mechanism to tilt in a plane transverse to the pivotal connection to said one member and to oscillate relative to said support during a relative rotation of said members, means for causing a relative rotation of said members, a latch member slidably mounted on and housed within said support so as to shift axially thereof, said latch member being adapted when shifted to one position to engage one of said members and when shifted to another position to engage the other of said members, and when shifted to a third position to act to limit the angularity of oscillation of said one member relative to said support, and interlocking means on said latch member and support adapted to secure said latch member in either of its positions.

5. In an air circulating device, the combination of a support, a shaft rotatably mounted on said support and having an annular groove eccentrically formed therein, motor driven blower mechanism tiltably mounted on said shaft, means for tilting said blower mechanism transversely of its pivotal axis to said shaft whereby it will be caused to oscillate relative to said support,

a latch member slidably housed within said support and shiftable axially of said shaft, a pin connected to said latch member and protruding out through said support so as to serve as a handle for shifting said latch member, and coacting means on said latch member and said shaft adapted to enter into interlocking engagement with said latch member when shifted to one of its positions so as to secure said shaft against rotation, said pin being adapted to coact with said eccentric groove when said latch member is shifted to another of its positions so as to limit the angularity of the rotation of said shaft.

6. In an air circulating device, the combination of a support, a shaft rotatably mounted on said support and having an annular groove eccentrically formed therein, blower mechanism tiltably mounted on said. shaft, a member rotatably mounted on said support concentrically of said shaft and independently thereof, coacting means on said blower mechanism and said member adapted to tilt said blower mechanism transversely of the axis of its pivotal connection to said shaft, whereby said blower mechanism will be caused to oscillate relative to said support, a latch member slidably mounted within said support and shiftable axially of said shaft, a pin connected to said latch member and protruding out through said support and serving as a handle for shifting said latch member, a pair of shoulders on said latch member, and shoulders on said, shaft and rotatable member adapted to be respectively engaged by the shoulders on said latch member when shifted into one or the other of its extreme positions for locking said shaft or rotatable member against rotation relative to said support, said pin being adapted to coact with said eccentric groove when said latch is shifted to an intermediate position so as to limit the angularity of the rotation of said shaft.

7. In an air circulating device, the combination of a support, a shaft rotatably mounted on said support and having an annular groove eccentrically formed therein, blower mechanism tiltably mounted on said shaft, a member rotatably mounted on said support concentrically of said shaft and independently thereof, coacting means on said blower mechanism and said member adapted to tilt said blower mechanism trans versely of the axis of its pivotal connection to said shaft, whereby said blower mechanism will be caused to oscillate relative to said support, a latch member slidably mounted within said support and shiftable axially of said shaft, a pin connected to said latch member and protruding out through said support and serving as a handle for shifting said latch member, a pair of shoulders on said latch member, shoulders on said shaft and rotatable member adapted to be respectively engaged by the shoulders on said latch member when shifted into one or the other of its extreme positions for lock ing said shaft or rotatable member against rotation relative to said support, said pin being adapted to coact with said eccentric groove when said latch is shifted to an intermediate position so as to limit the angularity of the rotation of said shaft, said pin being shiftable on said latch member radially with respect to said shaft, and coacting means on said pin and support adapted to hold said pin retracted from engagement with said shaft and at the same time lock said latch member in either one of its extreme positions.

8. In an air circulating device, the combination of a support,a shaft rotatably mounted on said support and having an annular groove eccentrically formed therein, blower mechanism tiltably mounted ontsaid shaft, a member rotatably mounted on said support concentrically of said shaft vand independently thereof, coacting means on said blower mechanism and said member adapted to tilt said blower mechanism transversely of the axis of its pivotal connection to said shaft, whereby said blower mechanism Will be caused to oscillate relative to said support; a latch member slidably mounted with in said support and shiftable axially of said shaft, a pin connected to said latch member and protruding out through said support and serving as a handle for shifting said.

latch member, a pair of shoulders on said latch member, shoulders on said shaft and rotatable member adapted to be respectively engaged by the shoulders on said latch member when shifted into one or the other of its so as to limit the angularity of the rotation,

of said shaft, said pin being shiftable on said latch member radially With respect to said shaft, and shoulders on said pin, said support having notches formed therein adapted to receive the shoulders on said 1 Fin for locking said latch member in its di erent positions,-said notches being of relatively different depths so as to holdsaid pin retracted from engagement with said shaft when said latch member is shifted to either 7 .one of its extreme positions and to release said pin to allow it to enter said eccentric groove when said latch member is shifted to its intermediate position.

Signed at Chicago this 22d day of November 1916.

WILLARD I M.- MGEWEN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner .of Patents,

' Washington, D. G. i 

